The ECE Equity Index, explained

Not the same as the schools Equity Index

Early childhood services have their own, separate Equity Index — a small 1–4 scale, unrelated to the 344–569 scale used for schools. The two are never comparable, and a school's EQI number should never be read next to an ECE service's EQI label.

What it measures

The ECE Equity Index estimates the extent to which a service draws children from low socio-economic communities, based on the addresses of enrolled children. Services are rated on a scale of 1 to 4: a lower number means the service draws more of its children from lower socio-economic communities.

Some services show "New Service" (not enough enrolment history yet) or "Not Applicable / Unknown" instead of a number.

Why it matters

Services rated 1 to 4 are eligible for Equity Funding, which provides additional government funding to services working with communities facing greater socio-economic barriers. It is not a measure of the quality of a service — a service outside the 1–4 range simply isn't eligible for this particular funding component, not "less good" than one that is.